The mighty 243

[NIGHTHAWK]

I’ve killed a few North American animals with it too…

 

[One Day...]

Tell you what...

Tell you what, I happened to share camp in Africa about 3 months ago with a gentleman who had brought a Heym 88b in .450/.400 and a bolt action .243 Win.

For a reason then only known to himself, he insisted on shooting a large Blue Wildebeest at 50+ yds with the .243 even though his .450/.400 was immediately available on my shoulder as a impromptu gun bearer for his late afternoon hunt, 3ft behind him, and I proposed it.

Late campfire G&T deep into the night emerged the fact that the fellow had been involved in an AH argument with Bob Nelson 35Whelen about the .243.

Despite a well placed shot at close range at maximum velocity and energy, and a good modern bullet, it took us the involvement of 5 people over 2 days to find the Wildebeest..................................................

I will continue to appreciate the .243 for what it was intended: medium Deer, Impala, Springbok, Chamois, Roebuck, etc. and I am more convinced than ever that it is no Elk or Wildebeest cartridge...

 

[Rafiki]

My late friend Roy in Alaska killed a bunch of grizzies shot in the ear and killed a buffalo with it .I want way heavier bullets .I used 243 on deer awesome on 120 pound bucks but lost 2 200 pound bucks switched to 338 wim mag to get ready to live in Alaska .

120lb bucks? Where do you live, Florida?
BTW, I live in Florida now, migrated from MN. I have a beautiful Browning A-Bolt .243, great rifle, not a hard hitter. I haven't lost a deer with it but I can't say a .243 is a great deer cartridge for a deer with any size to it.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

A few .243 kills by me:

 

[pilar]

Tell you what...

Tell you what, I happened to share camp in Africa about 3 months ago with a gentleman who had brought a Heym 88b in .450/.400 and a bolt action .243 Win.

For a reason then only known to himself, he insisted on shooting a large Blue Wildebeest at 50+ yds with the .243 even though his .450/.400 was immediately available on my shoulder as a impromptu gun bearer for his late afternoon hunt, 3ft behind him, and I proposed it.

Late campfire G&T deep into the night emerged the fact that the fellow had been involved in an AH argument with Bob Nelson 35Whelen about the .243.

Despite a well placed shot at close range at maximum velocity and energy, and a good modern bullet, it took us the involvement of 5 people over 2 days to find the Wildebeest..................................................

I will continue to appreciate the .243 for what it was intended: medium Deer, Impala, Springbok, Chamois, Roebuck, etc. and I am more convinced than ever that it is no Elk or Wildebeest cartridge...

I’m not going to judge anyone but only a CNS disruption would be a well placed shot on a wildebeest, I don’t think a 243 is ideal elk medicine unless you shoot high shoulder and neck like a 243 and on a nilgai

 

[Flbt]

I think a 243 does it’s best work on medium game if we step up to a premium bullet like the Barnes TSX or the Nosler Partition.

My two failures to kill involved standard cup in core bullets.

The only issue with premium( hard) bullets in the 243( or pretty much anything), is they can make smaller wound channels than softer, standard cup in core designs.

This problem is exasperated in a small bore.

Because of where I live, I have killed literally hundreds of hogs and deer in my 50 years of hunting them. Power does matter, I killed 90 deer with a 300 win magnum before the first one went more than 5 yards. He went 10.

Killed about as many with a 270 Weatherby with the same results.

The Hornady Interlock that failed in the 243, was awesome in the 270 and 300.

I don’t use magnums much anymore, but something in the power class of a 308 just kills quicker than the 243 in my experience.

Your mileage may vary.

That’s strange I had grate luck with the interlock in the 6mm rem the old light magnum 95gr loads.
I like the high shoulder shot on deer the interlock would go through both shoulders using the 6
I don’t know where you are at so the size difference in deer might be the difference
Fl deer are not big.
If hornday still loaded the interlock in the super performance instead of the sst I would still probably be using it.
My rifle doesn’t like the sst bullets.
Shotgun pattern instead of a group.

 

[Flbt]

Tell you what...

Tell you what, I happened to share camp in Africa about 3 months ago with a gentleman who had brought a Heym 88b in .450/.400 and a bolt action .243 Win.

For a reason then only known to himself, he insisted on shooting a large Blue Wildebeest at 50+ yds with the .243 even though his .450/.400 was immediately available on my shoulder as a impromptu gun bearer for his late afternoon hunt, 3ft behind him, and I proposed it.

Late campfire G&T deep into the night emerged the fact that the fellow had been involved in an AH argument with Bob Nelson 35Whelen about the .243.

Despite a well placed shot at close range at maximum velocity and energy, and a good modern bullet, it took us the involvement of 5 people over 2 days to find the Wildebeest..................................................

I will continue to appreciate the .243 for what it was intended: medium Deer, Impala, Springbok, Chamois, Roebuck, etc. and I am more convinced than ever that it is no Elk or Wildebeest cartridge...

See that guy with the 243 could make it into a 358w and most everyone would be happier

 

[Flbt]

120lb bucks? Where do you live, Florida?
BTW, I live in Florida now, migrated from MN. I have a beautiful Browning A-Bolt .243, great rifle, not a hard hitter. I haven't lost a deer with it but I can't say a .243 is a great deer cartridge for a deer with any size to it.

Our deer are small
If you are close to Al or ga. You might get a big buck that’s close to 200lbs but 75-125 probably the average

 

[Flbt]

I hope I get to see the difference on the 257 Robert and the 6mm rem
One nephew is using the 257 and his dad is to
The other is using a 6mm and I am to
So maybe we will be lucky enough to have a side by side comparison

6mm both are using 100 gr corlock
The 257 are using petitions
I think.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I load for .243 using 80 Grain Barnes TTSX. Fast, accurate, and deadly…

 

[dgr416]

120lb bucks? Where do you live, Florida?
BTW, I live in Florida now, migrated from MN. I have a beautiful Browning A-Bolt .243, great rifle, not a hard hitter. I haven't lost a deer with it but I can't say a .243 is a great deer cartridge for a deer with any size to it.

Georgia now was in Alaska 12 years .In Ga 1.5 year old deer are 120 pounds we have big deer too it didnt work good on them to me .I lost two giant bucks that was it for me .My 243 win rem 742 rem is super accurate 1/2 at v100 yards 2.5 inches at 300 yards .IT NEVER jammed either .I am fixing to change my Tang Safety Ruger 77 into a 338 federal because I really like Tang safety Rugers .
My dad really loved 243 and killed two big bucks with his rem 742 in 243 win .I was so proud of him .We mainly used Rem 100 gr corelocks .I didnt like dime sized exit holes .

 

[dgr416]

A few .243 kills by me:

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Thats totally awesome way to go

 

[dgr416]

Its so funny I finally got a 1954 Mannlicher and guess what its a 243 looks brand new too .

 

[Rafiki]

Georgia now was in Alaska 12 years .In Ga 1.5 year old deer are 120 pounds we have big deer too it didnt work good on them to me .I lost two giant bucks that was it for me .My 243 win rem 742 rem is super accurate 1/2 at v100 yards 2.5 inches at 300 yards .IT NEVER jammed either .I am fixing to change my Tang Safety Ruger 77 into a 338 federal because I really like Tang safety Rugers .
My dad really loved 243 and killed two big bucks with his rem 742 in 243 win .I was so proud of him .We mainly used Rem 100 gr corelocks .I didnt like dime sized exit holes .

Slight Segway, Bill Ruger said that the only proper place for the safety is the tang. I tend to agree but alas it's almost heresy to say so for mauser (type) actions. I'm pretty sure that was the reason Ruger made the change to a wing safety. It is interesting though that people don't have the same reaction to flag safety's (orig mauser), or levers like the P17, or Brno's, etc.

 

[Ray B]

I've posted the full story elsewhere so I'll just give the short version. The son of a colleague got a 243. first year killed a spike elk, one shot DRT. Next year and the third year one shot, elk went to knees, got up, ran a hundred yards, got shot and tagged by different hunters. Forth year the kid showed up with a 30-06.

 

[Wiley64]

243 is great.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Its so funny I finally got a 1954 Mannlicher and guess what its a 243 looks brand new too .

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I’m surprised there are no comments about the guy in the video and his loaded rifles pointing at the wife while she is video taping? Bolts closed, chambered round as he picks up the rifle, and if she is taping, it is pointed at her until he opens the bolt at says “look at that” and removes the round…

 

[dgr416]

Slight Segway, Bill Ruger said that the only proper place for the safety is the tang. I tend to agree but alas it's almost heresy to say so for mauser (type) actions. I'm pretty sure that was the reason Ruger made the change to a wing safety. It is interesting though that people don't have the same reaction to flag safety's (orig mauser), or levers like the P17, or Brno's, etc.

I can shoot these tang safety rugers way faster just like a double barrel instsntly taking ghe safety ofc anf firing at the ssme time .I fumble with the mark II ssfety cant stand it .I have lost huge deer from the wing safety on ruger mark II and model 70 winchesters .

 

[dgr416]

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Yes its the full stock double trigger mannkicher an I mean just like new rifling and all .The guy i bought it from shot it at targets ten times .It had a bsa scope on it so I put a nice Nikon on it .I will try to shoot a doewith it this weekend after I site it in .I ssnted one of these from the age of 10 finally got one 53 years later.I do wish it was 3006 or 7x57 though .I slicked it up with grease its like lightning now .